


Collide

by amine



Series: Gen X and Gen Z [15]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:16:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16560851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amine/pseuds/amine
Summary: "When Mary Fitzpatrick came to Stark Industries heavily pregnant and filled with almost terrifying determination, Tony knew he was in trouble."





	Collide

**Author's Note:**

> So I prefer that they aren't related and just grow to think of each other in a parent/child type of way, but I thought I'd try this trope out. Admittedly, I kind of enjoyed it!

When Mary Fitzpatrick came to Stark Industries heavily pregnant and filled with almost terrifying determination, Tony knew he was in trouble.

It was his baby, she said, and he knew he couldn’t possibly argue with that assertion, but she wasn’t looking for money or anything of that sort. She had a fiancé she was madly in love with, and they were happily looking forward to the birth of her baby, but she needed to settle something with Tony first.

He had a choice. He could be in his child’s life—and he actually had to _be_ there, not just child support and a pithy maybe once a year visit—or he completely relinquished any right he had to any sort of relationship. It was all or nothing.

Tony, young, still stinging from his own terrible relationship with his father, and wanting to nothing to do with children, chose the latter option. He’d been satisfied with that decision and hadn’t spared any thoughts over the years for the child he chose not to be involved with, even when he heard the news that Mary and her husband had died in a plane crash. He’d mourned the loss of a brilliant, beautiful woman, but her orphaned child hadn’t crossed his mind.

Not until many years later, at least.

When he’d been scouting for a recruit to join his team in taking down Cap’s team, he’d come across a web-slinging vigilante in Queens. Like a man possessed, he’d done everything in his power to track down who it was before anyone else could get to him. When he’d found out who it was, his heart had nearly stopped.

Peter Parker, son of Richard Parker and Mary Parker, née Fitzpatrick. 

His son.

He felt it was a type of cosmic karma that the son he’d willingly forgotten about would spring up in his life again, bright-eyed, brilliant and turned into a superhero because of a bite from a radioactive spider. Adding insult to injury, Peter hero worshipped him and had for a good portion of his life. It added an extra sting of guilt to have that kid look at him like he hung the moon even though Tony had abandoned him.

Luckily, or maybe not so much, even May didn’t seem to know who Tony really was. He had the feeling she wouldn’t have invited him into her home if she knew that Tony was Peter’s father and had chosen not to be there for him. He wondered if Richard Parker had even known, or if Mary had only ever told him in case he chose not to be part of his son’s life like he had.

The knowledge that Peter was his son had led him to give the new Spider-Man suit an absurd number of protocols and safety features, but although he tried to distance himself again from Peter after Berlin, he found himself becoming involved anyway. He started to listen in on the messages left on Happy’s phone. He watched the footage from Peter’s suit during his patrols. He responded as quickly as possible when there was an alert that Peter might drown. He felt intense guilt when trying to take away Peter’s suit didn’t stop Peter from taking out the Vulture anyway. He learned that the more he tried to distance himself from Peter, the more they came back together anyway.

So he decided to stop fighting it and let Peter be part of his life, even if he promised himself that he wasn’t defying his promise to Mary because they weren’t father and son. They were mentor and mentee. They worked together so Peter could be a better Spider-Man and eventually a better scientist or engineer or whatever he wanted to be.

It was a little terrifying how much he saw of himself in Peter, but even more terrifying was the affection that creeped up on him without him noticing that he felt whenever Peter was around. He tried to quash that affection and the pride and any other warm or fuzzy feelings that were triggered by Peter Parker, definitely not his son.

Then The Snap happened. Then he couldn’t deny to himself anymore that even if he’d been consciously trying to avoid it, he’d grown to love Peter and accept him as a son anyway.

It made him regret with an agonizing pain in his chest that he hadn’t chosen to be part of Peter’s life from the very beginning, when he would have held his newborn son and fallen instantly and deeply in love with his little boy. He’d missed out on all the little moments that couldn’t ever be replicated. He’d missed out on _not_ being Howard Stark, because he’d only convinced himself that that was how he’d be as a parent. He’d missed out on fifteen years worth of the most uncomplicated love he’d ever felt for another person. 

He promised himself that when—not if—he got Peter back, he’d make sure to tell Peter the truth.

Peter was understandably upset, and he took off from the compound without a word. After a long telephone call with May, where she didn’t hesitate to rip him a new one for keeping that a secret and upsetting Peter, an emotionally drained Peter came back to the compound with red, puffy eyes and an uncharacteristic frown. He approached Tony and his frown deepened.

“So my dad wasn’t actually my dad?”

Tony’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “No, kid, no way. Richard Parker was... _is_ your dad. Just because you don’t share blood doesn’t change that.”

Peter’s expression became even more anxious, and Tony hated himself for causing it. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m sorry, Pete. I’m not trying to replace Richard and Mary or Ben and May, because they raised you and they’re your real family. I know I don’t have any right to think of you as my son when I had the chance to be your father and be in your life and I blew it.”

Peter looked on the verge of tears, but Tony had to finish in case that was the end. “I just wanted you to know that I love you, Peter, and I’m proud to be related to you. If you want me gone because I abandoned you and then lied to you all this time, I get it, but I just wanted you to know.”

Peter really was crying then, and he wiped at his eyes as he choked out his words. “I don’t want you gone, Mr. Stark.”

Tony wanted nothing more than to take Peter in his arms and hold him close to comfort him, but he wasn’t sure if he had the right to do so. When Peter continued to cry despite his efforts, Tony couldn’t hold back anymore and he closed the distance between them to gently pull Peter into a hug. Peter didn’t resist and instead leaned heavily against Tony, who adjusted himself to be able to support Peter’s weight.

Tony had the feeling that there was a long way to go before they would be okay, if they ever reached that point, but if Tony could hold his son like that for just a moment, with the knowledge out in the open that Peter was indeed his son, it would be worth it.


End file.
